


Only Human: A Levi x Warrior!Reader

by ThatPersonWhoWrites



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Chaptered, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Government, Heavy Angst, Origin Story, Past Character Death, Plot, Plot Twists, Reader has bad past, Reader-Insert, Relationship(s), Secrets, Side Story, Sorry Not Sorry, This Is STUPID, Titan Shifter Reader, Titans, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, fluff with plot, reader has flashbacks, triggering topics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-05-24 00:34:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14944292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatPersonWhoWrites/pseuds/ThatPersonWhoWrites
Summary: You're a girl in a world where the only way out of dying is to fight. Fight the monsters that make up your cruel home. And also fight with yourself. In a world where no one else understands. A world that has trapped you in the bindings of complete loneliness.A world that has convinced you that you must wage war with tooth and claw not as a soldier, but as a warrior.Orphaned and transformed at a young age, you know exactly how hellish the world can be. You tell yourself no one knows how awful fate can be, whether it be a person of your kind, or an outsider of your land. But, is it really true?Could there be someone else, maybe not in the same situation, but still, hiding their true heart from the world?





	1. Prolouge

**Author's Note:**

> Yo. This plot idea is actually the story for my oc Ayla....but.............I thought it pretty good so decided to do an xReader on it.  
> You're basically my oc now.  
> You're welcome.
> 
> ALSOOOOO. Even though this will have some parts from the manga that are not in the show yet (*ahem* -->THE<\-- "GOVERNMENT"), I still do not fully know the whole story. I have not read all parts of the manga yet (I normally just watch the anime so I'm surprised.) BUT. I have spoiled myself a little for the sake of this fic. That does not mean I know exactly how the characters in this organization works. All I know is the name and the Warrior group and a couple of things here and there, but that's about it. So. Be wary of (probably mostly non-canon) spoilers. (But some may be canon. I don't know. JUST BE CAREFUL.)

_Bang!_

 

You froze.

 

"Mom?" You asked as you went over to put a hand on her shoulder. "Mom, are you-" Her head tilted back and you jumped back at the sight of a bloody bullet hole through her skull. "EYAH!" You screamed, falling backwards onto the ground as her body fell and slumped into you. You scooted back.

 

"No. No. No." Tears broke through and fell onto your cheeks. "No. NO." You said, grabbing fistfuls of your hair. 

 

This wasn't supposed to happen. None of this was supposed to happen. Why the  _hell_ was this happening?!

 

_~Earlier~_

 

The dusty cobblestone ground gritted underneath your dress shoes as you walked and struggled to keep the water bucket on one arm. You weren't the strongest person, and you would hate to go all this way to drop it. Your family's water stopped running and you were asked by your father to go fetch some water to clean the laundry with. You were quick to respond in a sharp retort when he had asked you, not feeling all in the mood to do labor. In the end though, you were indeed powerless in the father-daughter relationship, and decided to just get it over with. That and the fact that he had threatened to take away your evening curfew hour. You huffed at the thought and continued on your way. 

 

As you neared your house, you placed the bucket down and, after pushing your bangs back, went to your door and opened it.

 

"Father, I got some water!" You yelled, looking around for any sign of him.

 

"Dear, your father's not here. He left for some business duty." You heard you mother say softly. She came over, wiping her hands on her apron tied around her waist. "I will take it though. Thank you." She picked up the water bucket from on the porch and hummed as she carried it over to the sink. You took a seat at the dinner table.

 

"Mother? Why is he always working? Father?" You asked, running your fingers gently over the markings in the polished wood table.

 

"He's part of the government, Kaitlyn, we've been over this." You mother said, looking back at you from where she was standing. "When you're part of the government, you're not going to be home as much as you once were."

 

"Yeah, well," You started. "the government's really freaking stupid, then."

 

You saw your mother visibly tense before she immediately turned around and grabbed you by the shoulders. You widened your eyes, shocked at the sudden action.

 

"Don't you ever,  _ever_ say that again. You hear me, young lady?" She said, voice shaking.

 

You nodded your head, but you were still utterly confused.

 

She said nothing and let go of you, walking back to her station at the sink. "I mean it. The government is smart, Kaitlyn. They have their ways. If they find out that you disobeyed them they might turn you into a-" Her words got caught in her throat.

 

"Into a what? What, mother?" You asked.

 

Your mother shook her head. "Nothing. Forget I said anything." She turned back to you with a smile on her face, like nothing even happened. "Go outside. You've done your chores."

 

You opened your mouth to say something about why your father was in the government when it's so bad, but decided against it. You just simply nodded and got up, heading out the door.

 

"I love you dear!" You mother called after you.

 

"Love you too, mother!" You called back, running off into the direction of your friends.

 

 

You sat in front of a small shop with your friends, contemplating on what to do. You had all done your chores, so you couldn't help each other out like usual. You guys had already raided your favorite shop and ran away with some goodies. And you had already scared away some bullies that were picking on smaller kids. 

 

"I know!" One of your friends spoke up, startling the group. "There's gonna be a parade in the streets in a few minutes! We can watch that."

 

"A parade for what? If it's a parade on flowers again, I'm not going. And I don't think anyone else in this group will either." One of the others said.

 

"It's a parade the government's holding. All the soldiers are gonna be marching through the streets with real  _guns_!" He said, waving his hands through the air to emphasize his excitement.

 

"Isn't that a little scary though? Like, if you really think about it. Those guns can kill people. What if one accidentally goes off or something?" You say.

 

"You worry too much. They're trained soldiers. They've probably had years of practice with guns so they  _don't_ accidentally go off." Your friend says in a confident manner.

 

You roll your eyes. He was your best friend and all, but sometimes you would be a little worrisome over him. Seeing as how he jumps into things without thinking, it could get him into a lot of trouble in the future. You were snapped out of your thoughts as you caught sight of a crowd running over to the street, kids dragging parents along with them. "Hey, if you want us to see the parade, we better start moving now. So we can get a good spot." You said, standing up and brushing your black dress off. You adjusted the red band around your arm so you would look respectful to the soldiers and stretched. You felt air as he rushed past you, and you sighed. "So much for 'wait up'", you muttered to yourself as you and the others followed.

 

As you approached him after pushing past the crowd, you saw how his eyes were lighting up at just the sound of the soldiers coming.  _Why is he so fascinated with the solders? Maybe it's because we barely see them?_   _Maybe he wants to be one? I don't know, it's none of my business._

 

As the soldiers drew nearer, he started to speak up. "Look! They're coming!" And sure enough, they were. They really stood out with their straight and stiff stances, there bright green military outfits, and their attitude. You didn't know what it was, but something was off to you. You weren't sure. Maybe you were paranoid. All you could think of at the moment though, was that there were no banners, floats or blimps around. There usually is when there is a parade or social event going on. It made you feel kind of uneasy.

 

As you watched the soldiers march past you, you saw one quickly glance at you for a few seconds then turn his gaze forward again. You swallowed.  _What the hell?_

 

Their marching then suddenly stopped. It was quiet. Everyone was so quiet. 

 

"Guys? What's a happening? Why did they stop?" You whispered and they all just shrugged, looking equally confused and a little scared. Even your military-obsessed friend.

 

You all jumped when they turned towards the crowd on either side of them. You unconsciously hid behind your friend who was beside you, who didn't protest. This was weird. The soldier that glanced at you before met your gaze again, and the intensity in his eyes made you shiver in slight fear. "Guys, I think we should go..." You said as you broke eye contact with the man and looked around to see adults holding their children protectively in their arms. Tears brimmed your eyes. "Guys, c'mon, let's-" You were cut off mid-sentence as the soldiers pointed their guns at the crowds, including you and your friends. You froze with fear. Everything seemed to slow. 

 

People started to turn away and run, but you were still unable to move. You were shocked, and scared. Scared beyond belief. You were only snapped back into reality when you heard a bang and saw your friend who had been fascinated earlier fall to the ground with a hole where his heart was. You screamed and tears started to finally fall.  _WHY!?_

 

You felt someone grab your sleeve and pull you with them and looked over to see it was only one part of your friend group. That was when you saw their body jerk forward and fall, pulling you with them. You instantly retracted your hand and scooted back. Two of your close friends were just killed in front of you. Your chest heaved as you struggled to breathe. You whipped your head around to see who was making footsteps behind you and, to your shock, it was one of the soldiers. Probably the one who was looking at you constantly and just killed two of your friends. You screamed again and scrambled to your feet. Right as he was about to grab your arm, you were off, running as fast as your legs could carry you. Gunshots were heard everywhere around you and screams rung in your ears. You looked back to see he was chasing you. Tears were now streaming down your face, adding to the look of distress on your features.  _Oh no...my house is close and soldiers are everywhere...m-mom!_ As you neared your house you heard another bang.  _No...!_ You looked back again to see the soldier was gone.  _I lost him...!_ You thought, slight relief washing over you. You came to a halt when you saw your mother, smiling wide as you approached her. "Mother!" You yelled, but she didn't look back at you. 

"Mom?" You asked as you went over to put a hand on her shoulder. "Mom, are you-" Her head tilted back and you jumped back at the sight of a bloody bullet hole through her skull. "EYAH!" You screamed, falling backwards onto the ground as her body fell and slumped into you. You scooted back.

 

"No. No. No." Tears broke through and fell onto your cheeks. "No. NO." You said, grabbing fistfuls of your hair. 

 

This wasn't supposed to happen. None of this was supposed to happen. Why the  _hell_  was this happening?!

 

You felt strong hands grip your shoulders and you tensed, looking back at the two soldiers that had killed the people closest to you. You cried out for help and tried to get away, but they pulled you back sharply. "Don't kill me! Please!" You said, sobbing into your hands.

 

"Are you sure she's the one?" You heard one of them say to the other, and your sobbing was silenced.  _What?_

 

"Yeah." He said as he pulled out a syringe from his chest pocket.

 

The other one held you down firmly and before you could protest, the syringe was stabbed into your arm.

 

_You're a warrior from now on, and must fulfill your duty to the bitter end._

_\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

 

 


	2. Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Questions were running through your head. Questions that couldn’t be answered. And that angered you.
> 
> “Who are you?”
> 
> You jumped and whipped your head to the source of the voice. Your throat instantly went dry as you locked eyes with the man who was now beside you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Sorry for not posting...been really busy with family reunions, projects, tests, and other things...

You adjusted you backpack that was lazily thrown on your shoulders. Your cloak’s hood was draped over your head as you walked, knife in hand. You had to stay alert if you wanted to get to the walls. Yes, you were a warrior, but the mindless titans roaming the plains would certainly eat you if you gave them an opening. Your eyes were bloodshot as you glanced around you, probably due to your major lack of sleep. The purple bags under your eyes were clearly visible and your staggering footsteps gave your unhealthy condition away. Despite your face looking like a dead titan itself, half of your hair was tied into a neat ponytail, with the rest of it being down over your neck. You looked down at the ground, eyes following the footsteps you left behind you.

 

_ Keep going, (Y/N). You can’t just give up when you’ve come this far. _

 

You pulled out your pouch that held your water. The only thing you have been doing as you traveled was trying to stay alive. Your muscles were tired from strenuous walking and your head hurt from overthinking many dangerous situations you were encountered with. You took a gulp of water before you placed it back on your belt on your hip. You sighed.

 

“I can’t believe this is my life.” You said to yourself, clenching your eyes shut to try to get rid of the stinging pain of your headache.

 

As you tried to get rid of the cursed pain, you heard a sound in the distance. You huffed.

 

_ Can’t I have a break for once…? _

You looked on forward to see a huge body emerge from the trees. 

 

_ Ugh. _

 

As the titan set its sights on you, you got your knife ready next to your upper arm. The titan started wobbling its way toward you, ugly mouth already dripping with dirty saliva. Its pot belly protruded out and his wrinkly, bloodstained hands reached out for you. The whole image of the creature made you cringe and almost puke in disgust.

 

Right as you were about to transform to defeat it, the titan lunged forward, but not on its own. You saw as steam erupted from where the nape of its neck would be. Your ears caught the sound of rushing air and…

 

_...gas tanks? _

 

Someone was near you. Someone powerful enough to take down a titan. Someone who could easily kill you if you weren’t careful enough. You sheathed your knife and darted behind a tree.

 

“Is it dead?” A voice said. You guessed a younger male.

 

“Of course it’s fucking dead, idiot! You see it disintegrating, don’t you?” Another male said, clearly about the same age as the other one.

 

“Yell at me again and I’ll make you “disintegrate” in half the time this titan does!” The other one said, audibly getting frustrated.

 

“I’d like to see you try, you suicidal bastard!”

 

“Horseface…”

 

“Suicidal bastard!”

 

“Horseface!”

 

“SUICIDAL BASTARD!”

 

“HORSEFACE!”

 

“THAT’S ENOUGH YOU BRATS!” An older male yelled. He must have been some kind of superior to them since they shut their mouths after that. “You’re not five years old anymore, dumbasses! Stop fighting or you’ll both be forced to clean the stables for two months!”

 

_ Ooh...that’s rough. _

 

“Y-Yes, sir!” They both were heard running away.

 

“Ugh...fucking brats...they’re gonna give me gray hairs when I'm not even 40 yet…” The man said, sounding annoyed. 

 

“They’ll learn eventually...one day they will come to realize that working together has its perks.” Another man said, sounding much older than the rest. He had a deep voice and you could hear his confidence as he spoke.

 

“Yeah, yeah, keep dreaming eyebrows.” The other one said.

 

_ Eyebrows? Was that a nickname or something…? _

 

You stayed hidden as the two continued their conversation.

 

“On a more important note… what was that titan running after? None of the cadets were in front of it, they were all with us. And it couldn’t have been a deer. Those things don’t go after animals.” The same man said.

 

It was quiet for a moment, and you were trying your hardest to tune into the mumblings and whispers of the two men.

 

_ Please leave…! _

 

“Alright. Well, I better get going to see if those two didn’t get into another fight. Come back when you’re ready. We have your horse.” The younger man said.

 

You heard the gas tank go off and assumed he was gone.

 

But the other man was still there.

 

You leaned your head against the tree and closed your eyes. Were they civilians of the walls? Did they know anything? How superior were they to the others? Is there a group they are apart of?

 

Questions were running through your head. Questions that couldn’t be answered. And that angered you.

 

“Who are you?”

 

You jumped and whipped your head to the source of the voice. Your throat instantly went dry as you locked eyes with the man who was now beside you.

 

“Um..Uh- I…” You stumbled on your words, hands closing into fists against the tree bark.

 

The man was much taller than you and looked like he could beat you to a pulp in your human form if he wanted to.  His hair was two toned, having a black undercut and a blond, combed hairstyle on the top. His jaw was chisled and his eyes looked straght through you with a bright blue. He had on some type of military uniform, like nothing you’ve ever seen before. He had a dark green cloak wrapped around him and two big rectangular case-like objects on either side of his waist.

 

“Is there anyone else with you?” The man said, walking a little closer.

 

You tensed up. “Uh… no one. Just me.”

 

You  _ were _ telling the truth.

 

“Where are you from? Somewhere in Wall Maria?” He asked.

 

So he  _ was  _ from the walls! 

 

“No… I uh… don’t remember. I was knocked out on the way here…” You prayed to the goddesses that he believed your lie that could very easily be seen through.

 

He paused. “Oh.” He put a hand to his chin in thought. “Well, I guess I should introduce myself then. You might not remember me.” He put his hand out for you to shake and smiled. “My name is Erwin Smith. I am the 13th commander of the Scouting Regiment stationed within the walls.”

 

_ Commander?! _

 

You shakily took his hand in his and shook it as confidently as possible.

 

He gently pulled his hand back. “You can trust me. But I don’t know if I can trust you yet.” He paused. “Tell you what, I’ll bring you back with me and the others to our base, and we’ll keep you sheltered. How does that sound?”

 

You were taken back. How was this man being so nice to you, even though he literally just met you in the middle of titan territory? If only he knew what you really were… But again, he could be your one-way ticket into the walls...

 

“Um...thank you. You’re very kind. I think I’ll take you up on that offer.” You said, flashing him a smile.

 

Erwin smiled back. “But you have to promise me that you’ll try to remember about where you’re from.”

 

You tensed up slightly but kept a dignified posture. “I promise, Commander Smith.”

 

He gave a small chuckle to your response. “Please, call me Erwin right now.”

 

You laughed back. “Alright, Erwin.”

 

The man cocked his head in a curious manner. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name. Forgive me.”

 

You waved it off. “No, it’s fine. My name is (Y/N) (L/N).”


	3. Friends...?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You smiled sadly and shook your head. “No. It’s okay. I need to learn to get over it. It was something that happened a long time ago. If I dwell on it, it will impact my...future decisions.”
> 
> Something in the commander’s eyes flickered and you swear you saw a glimpse of a smirk on his features.

It had been a few minutes since you left with the man known as Commander Erwin Smith, and you already felt a little uneasy. It wasn’t because you felt he was dangerous or anything. It was just the fact that he so easily believed your lie. He was carrying a person that was sent to destroy him on his horse, to where all of his other soldiers were.

 

_ Would he have killed me if I told him the truth? _

 

You took a deep breath. All you had to do was blend in. Act friendly. Be likeable. 

 

Then complete your mission.

 

His horse came to a halt, hooves skidding the dirtied ground. You sensed him pull at the reigns and then jump down, tying the animal to a nearby post. He extended his hand out to you to help you down. You gladly took it with a smile and jumped down next to him, gripping your bag and cloak with one hand. You then took you time to glance around.

 

The building you had approached looked to be an abandoned castle. Remains of the cobblestone roads and walls layed on the ground, forgotten. There seemed to be a stable right next to the entrance, holding multiple horses, which told you that you and the commander weren’t the only ones here. There were buckets of water scattered around field, along with brooms and sheets.

 

“This is our post.” Erwin said, walking up beside you since you seemed to have wandered off. 

 

“It’s pretty big for a post. But I guess that’s what makes it safe.” You said, looking up at him.

 

“Yeah… that’s what we were hoping for. The titans don’t have much sympathy for our kind.” He said, making you tense up a bit. “Oh! And, sorry about the cleaning products here and there. A certain member of ours loves to clean…” the commander chuckled.

 

You laughed with him. “Hey, “ You said, shrugging. “You gotta have some sort of past time in a world like this one.”

 

Erwin nodded. “That is true. Cleaning… it keeps him going. He had a rough past.”

 

_ Rough past? Unfortunately, I can relate to that… _

 

__ “(Y/N)?” Erwin looked at you, curious to see why you had gotten silent all of a sudden.

 

You jumped and awkwardly laughed, facing him. “Sorry! It’s just that…” You turned away. “I too had a rough past. My short term memory might be gone...” you lied, “...but my long term memory is still there.”

 

Erwin frowned. “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

 

You smiled sadly and shook your head. “No. It’s okay. I need to learn to get over it. It was something that happened a long time ago. If I dwell on it, it will impact my... _ future decisions.” _

 

__ Something in the commander’s eyes flickered and you swear you saw a glimpse of a smirk on his features. You took note to ask him about it later.

 

“Hey! Commander Erwin!”

 

A young voice yelled, making you jump.

 

“I organized the supplies that you wanted me t-” A brown haired boy with turquoise eyes came up to you both, having his fists in some kind of salute. He immediately dropped it when he saw you, confusion setting in. “Um… commander? Who is this?”

 

“Ah, Eren! Thank you for doing that. I appreciate it.” He turned to the boy supposedly named ‘Eren’ and put a hand on your shoulder gently. “This is (Y/N) (L/N). She is a friendly outsider that I found wandering near the entrance to the walls. She was knocked out and sent out there by someone I’m guessing, and she cannot remember where it is she came from. She can only remember parts of her…?” He turned to you, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Childhood.” You said. “Only some  _ traumatizing  _ parts of my childhood.”

 

Eren came up to you, looking you up and down. His eyebrows furrowed, in an angry way, and you broke out into a cold sweat.

 

_ Is he suspicious...? _

 

The boy then suddenly smiled and put out his hand to shake. “You actually seem pretty nice. Sorry for scaring you. I just try to get an understanding of people before I really get to know them. Like he said, I’m Eren. Eren Jeager.”

 

You chuckled nervously. “Haha, nah. You didn’t scare me. It just caught me off guard is all.” You took your hand in his and firmly shook it. “I’m (Y/N). (Y/N) (L/N).”

 

Eren pulled back, putting his hands on his hips. “Nice to meet you, (Y/N).”

 

Erwin nodded to Eren. “Eren, could you please escort (Y/N) to the dining hall? Maybe she can get to know the other cadets as well.”

 

“Of course, Commander Smith.” Eren said, taking hold of your cloak. He then gestured you to follow him.

 

As you both walked, you tried to start up a conversation. “So… Eren.”

 

Eren looked at you, smiling. “Hm?”

 

“Are you guys soldiers?”

 

“Yeah, we are.” he said.

 

“Is it tiresome?” You asked, looking down at your feet.

 

He sighed. “Yes, it is. Especially when you know you’re not gonna get anywhere near freedom for a while.” He looked down at the ground. “It’s also frustrating when you know there’s millions of questions but there are no answers to them.”

 

“That’s what it means to persevere.” You put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re doing a really good job. Don’t doubt yourself. When you start to doubt yourself, that’s also when you start to give up.”

 

Eren’s face turned pink and he smiled. “Ha, thanks.”

 

You smiled back and pulled your hand back. “Don’t mention it.”

 

After a few more moments of walking with Eren, he stopped and told you that you were there. You were faced with double doors and Eren pushed them open.

 

All you saw was…

 

“ _ SASHA!” _

 

A girl with her brown hair pulled up in a ponytail ran around the room with what seemed to be a loaf of bread in her mouth.

 

**A whole loaf of bread.**

 

Eren’s eyes widened and he handed you your cloak back. He sprinted to the girl. “Sasha! Come on, AGAIN?!” 

 

_ What the…? _

 

A bunch of people around the same age were chasing after the girl, which you heard whose name was Sasha. You couldn’t help but start to laugh at the scene. This reminded you of your friend group when you were little.

 

Once they had finally caught the girl, one of them ripped the bread out of her mouth. Everything was once again silent except for your laughing. You were clutching your stomach with one hand and trying to hold in your laughter with the other. It wasn’t very effective. You suddenly realized that it was quiet and quickly stopped laughing. You cleared your throat and tried to hide your embarrassed face.

 

“Sorry…” You said, quietly.

 

The atmosphere didn’t change. They were still staring at you confusedly.

 

You gulped nervously.

 

_ Well, shit. _

 

Right before you were about to escape the situation, the group started laughing also.

 

_ Oh god. Are they laughing at me? _

 

You started to turn away but your hand was grabbed, stopping you from doing so. 

 

It was Eren.

 

“We weren’t laughing at you, we promise! We just think that it’s hilarious that you think that it was funny. I mean, it is like an everyday thing to us.” He let go of your hand.

 

You chuckled. “Everyday…?”

 

Another male came up to you. A tall, black haired one. “Y-yeah. Every single d-day.” He stuttered, glancing at Sasha.

 

“Oh jeez…” You said, laughing again.

 

Eren heaved a sigh of relief. “Anyway, now that that’s out of the way, I feel like I should introduce everyone here.” He started pointing to everyone around you. The first ones were two guys. One was the black haired one from earlier, the other one a buffed up blond one. “That’s Bertholdt and Reiner they’ve always stuck together since they came here. Bertholdt’s a little shy and Reiner’s a big flirt but they’re nice people overall.” He then moved to the small group beside them. The girl with the ponytail, a small male with a buzzcut, and a male with two toned hair. Much like Erwin’s, but a little bit more untamed. “That’s Sasha. I feel like you already know her. Connie and...him.”

 

The last male clenched his fists, getting ready to yell but calmed himself. “It’s Jean.” he said through clenched teeth.

 

Eren rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever.” He then pointed to another group of three. This time a blond haired, blue eyed male, and two girls. A golden haired one and another brown haired one with a small ponytail. She also had freckles. “Then there’s Ymir and Christa. Christa’s really nice. Everyone likes her. And Ymir on the other hand, you’ll just have to get used to her. And that’s Armin. I’ve known him since we were like, 10.”

 

The boy named Armin waved shyly. You waved back.

 

“And uh...Armin? Where’s Mikasa?” Eren asked.

 

“Right here.”

 

You and Eren jumped as a black haired girl appeared behind you. She had a glare on toward you and you instinctively took a step back.

 

“And, um… that’s Mikasa. I’ve also know her since I was 10. I swear, she is actually really nice. She’s just a little… overprotective…” He trailed off as Mikasa walked away in silence.

 

Armin scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “She gets jealous a lot, too.”

 

You chuckled. “I’m sure she’ll be wonderful once we get to know each other a bit better.”

 

Eren crookedly smiled. “Yeah… hopefully.” You then laughed.

 

Y’know, maybe spending time with these people for a while won’t be so bad after all.

 


	4. Unfortunate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Why should I tell you...?! I don't even know you yet...!" You said, giving up on removing the man's foot.
> 
> "So you did lie. You do remember where you're from." He said, crossing his arms.
> 
> You looked away. "From somewhere...far away."
> 
> He uncrossed his arms and dropped them to his sides. "I knew it..." He said to himself.

***Spoiler Warning***

You were busy unloading your bags in the spare dorm you were shown to by Eren and the others. You bit your lip at the thought of the group, trying to hold back tears. They were nice people. They were genuine toward you. And you had to wipe them out. You sat on the bed and put your head in your hands. Why did you have to do this?

You were shoved out of your thoughts when you heard a soft knock at the door. You wiped your eyes with the back of your hand and put on a smile. "Who is it?"

"It's Bertholdt."

You got up and sniffed, taking a deep breath to calm yourself down a bit. "Coming."

You opened the door and as you had expected, saw the tall man towering over you, sweating in nervousness.

"Hi, Bertholdt." You said, grinning.

Bertholdt smiled back, but it was more forced than you thought it was going to be.

"What's wrong?" You asked anxiously, smile dropping.

The man jumped as if you had startled him. "Um...I- uh." He stuttered, looking away. You could see him pulling at the collar of his shirt.

"Go on, Bert." You heard another voice behind him.

"Reiner! I-I know!" Bertholdt said back.

You raised an eyebrow. "What is is this all about?"

The man in front of you stayed silent, which made Reiner stomp up to him.

"He thinks you're pretty," Reiner said blatantly.

Your face turned a deep red and your grip on the door tightened. Your eyes were the size of dinner plates.

"Reiner! Why would you say that! I-I told you I was gonna tell her-!" Bertholdt started.

Reiner put his arm around him and chuckled. "Come on, Bert. We all know you would've dropped the subject sooner or later."

You put the back of your hand to your mouth and averted your gaze. "Well, I uh..." You said, your hand muffling your voice a bit. "...thank you. You're too kind."

Bertholdt looked back at you. "Y-you're welcome."

"Alright, Bertl, can I talk to her now? Don't worry, I won't steal her away from you." Reiner said.

The tall man hit Reiner's arm playfully and looked at him with a red face. "She's not even mine." He turned and walked away.

"Well. I definitely wasn't expecting that on my first day here..." You laughed.

Reiner laughed with you. "Yeah, he's something."

"So, uh... what did you need to tell me?" You asked.

The man cleared his throat. "Uh, I actually wanted to know if you're telling the truth."

You froze. "What?"

Reiner looked around. "Did you really lose your memory?"

You chuckled. "Of course! I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mea-" You were stopped mid-sentence as you saw his serious glare towards you. You gulped.

Reiner took a step back. "It's highly unlikely that you would forget where you lived your whole life if you were "knocked out"."

You looked down and went to close the door. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He blocked the door from closing with his foot. "Where are you from?"

You tried kicking his foot away. "Reiner, I really don't know!"

Reiner stayed put. "Yes, you do. Tell me."

"Why should I tell you...?! I don't even know you yet...!" You said, giving up on removing the man's foot.

"So you did lie. You do remember where you're from." He said, crossing his arms.

You looked away. "From somewhere...far away."

He uncrossed his arms and dropped them to his sides. "I knew it..." He said to himself.

You looked up at him, tears threatening to fall.

"You're a..." He started.

"Warrior." You said, voice shaky.

Reiner stayed quiet.

You put your head back down, loose hair falling on your features. "How do... how do you know?" You asked. Your heartbeat was going a million miles a minute, and you just wanted to collapse.

He tilted his head. "How do I know what a warrior is?" He paused with a sigh. "I know what a warrior is because I am one."

Your head whipped back up, mouth hanging open in shock.

Reiner looked to the side. "Bertholdt is too."

_This is too much. How come I don't recognize them from back home?_

All you could do at that moment was hug him. Your mind went blank as you wrapped your arms around him. He slowly snaked his arms around your figure in return. It felt comforting. Not in a romantic sort of way, but in a familial way. Even though your face was against his chest, you couldn't blink. Tears fell down your face but you couldn't feel them anymore. All you could think was,

_I'm not alone._

"Oh, and uh, Reiner, I-" Bertholdt came back in, who seemed to have forgotten to tell Reiner something. He saw you two hugging and immediately went silent.

You two parted and looked at Bertholdt. Your cheeks were wet and you definitely didn't feel pretty at the moment.

The man stood there, confused eyes darting back and forth between you two.

Reiner went up to him and mumbled something. Bertholdt's face went from shocked to serious and he looked at you. You looked down, averting his gaze. You felt as if you were being judged or something. It was a terrible feeling.

You suddenly felt arms wrap around you once more. Bertholdt was hugging you as well now. "Bertholdt... I..." You started, hugging him back.

"Shh shh shh... it's okay. We're here. Reiner and I understand what you're going through. You just need to keep pushing on." His stutter was completely gone.

"But... I don't wanna do this. I... I didn't choose to do this...!" You cried.

Reiner came over and hugged you both. "It's alright. We know."

And you stood there, crying in the arms of what you now knew as your closest friends.


	5. Night Arguments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He sighed. "Look, all I was saying was that you don't look that you're fit to be a soldier. Because guess what? That's what Erwin intends to do. He just wants another soldier in the ranks."
> 
> "You know, I don't know what your problem is but I did absolutely nothing to you. All the other people I've met today have been nice and caring. But no, you just have to be a dick." You weren't stuttering or nervous anymore. You were fired up.

* **Warning. Swearing***

It was evening now. Earlier, you had found out that you weren't the only titan-shifter in the area. Reiner and Bertholdt were also warriors. It made you... happy. Happy that there were others that understood the mental anguish you felt. Happy that there were people who were willing to be there for you and stand by your side while you did the most horrible of deeds.

Destroy an entire population.

You sighed and closed the journal you had been previously reading through. It was your journal that you had been writing in since your first day of warrior training. You had to keep it a secret since they would certainly have destroyed it if they had found out about it. You wrote in it every night. It kept you sane. At least, that's what you wanted to believe. Some pages had neat writing on, from the nights and afternoons that were relatively calm and peaceful. And then there were the pages with scribbled words and rushed sentences, from the lonely nights where you couldn't take reality anymore. You cringed at the thought of those nights. They were nights when your only companions were your own tears.

You put your head back against the wall and closed your eyes. Maybe you should get some sleep. You haven't had sleep in such a long time. But if you fell asleep, the nightmares would come. Your muscles and head were begging for rest but you had no choice but to refuse them of their needs.

A tear rolled down your face.

"Mom..." You whispered. "Please... help me."

Right as you unconsciously began to doze off in the most depressing way, you heard a distant shatter. You immediately sprung up from your position. So fast, in fact, that you momentarily blacked out. You went to your door and peeked out.

It was 1:00 in the morning. Who else was up this late? It was way past the curfew that you had been told.

You grabbed your lantern and started to head off to the kitchen.

You walked softly, trying to not make any noise.

"Shit!" Someone cussed, sounding annoyed.

That voice sounded familiar.

There were multiple footsteps that were coming toward you, until,

"What the fuck are you doing out here?" A male said.

You jumped, not expecting to get caught. "I... uh... heard something break and... went to investigate." You stuttered. You held the lantern up so you could subtly get a better view of the man's face. And boy, did you wish you didn't.

The man's face was pale and dark circles were under his eyes. His hair was dark ebony and was styled in an undercut. His scowl on his face was clearly visible and his brows furrowed in anger. His eyes were the dull color of gray, but somehow shone with such ferocity that would make even the bravest person fall to their knees in fear. Even though his stature was not the greatest, he still had a bold stance, with his arms crossed against his chest.

Out of instinct, you took a step back.

"Dumbass, you're not supposed to be up at this time. You should know that it's curfew, cadet." He said, eyes narrowing.

"I'm... I'm sorry but I'm new." You stated, shoulders tensing.

"It doesn't matter if you're new, you shouldn't-" He then paused. "Oh. So you're the girl Erwin was talking about."

You straightened your back. "Yeah..."

He seemed to be in thought for a moment until he turned his back. "He could've picked up someone better than you."

You were taken aback. What was this guy's problem?

"Excuse me...?" You said, walking closer to him.

He put his hand out. "Don't approach me. Who knows what kind of germs or bacteria you have."

"I'm not a dog...!" You shouted in a whisper. "It's not like I have fleas...!"

"Did I say you have fleas? No, I said you have germs and bacteria." He said.

You shook your head with clenched teeth. "Never mind that. But what did you say about me before?"

He sighed. "Look, all I was saying was that you don't look that you're fit to be a soldier. Because guess what? That's what Erwin intends to do. He just wants another soldier in the ranks."

"You know, I don't know what your problem is but I did absolutely nothing to you. All the other people I've met today have been nice and caring. But no, you just have to be a dick." You weren't stuttering or nervous anymore. You were fired up.

He quickly turned around and grabbed your shirt collar. "I hope you know who you're talking to, because I know you don't want to be reported to the officials about disrespecting a superior like that." He growled, inches to your face.

Was that a threat?

"Well, technically I'm not a cadet yet, so right now you're not my superior." This only made him angrier. "And also, what "superior" you are, physically threatening your cadets like this." You glanced down at the hand that was gripping your shirt almost to the point of tearing it.

He clenched his teeth and let go of you, pushing you back. And with that, he stomped away.

You straightened the wrinkles in your shirt as you watched him go, eyes shooting daggers at his retreating figure.

What a fucking gentleman.

You huffed as you made your way back to your room that you never should have left in the first place. You set the lantern next to your bed as you tried so desperately not to slam the door.

My god, this night was going by ever so slowly.

~TIME SKIP~

You walked into the dining hall looking like death itself. Everyone looked at you with shocked faces. You were definitely not the same person you were when they met you the day before. Eren walked up to you, seeming to be hesitant to get close to you. You gave him the best smile you could muster to reassure him.

"Uh... me, Mikasa and Armin saved a spot for you." He said.

"Wait, Mikasa too?" You asked, surprised.

"Uh... well, maybe just me and Armin." He said, scratching the back of his neck.

"Oh, haha. Right." You replied, shoulders drooping. "I'll just sit across from you then." You said.

"Well, uh, Bertholdt and Reiner sit across from us, though." He looked at the table and then back at you.

Your smile got wider at the thought of the two males. "It's okay. I don't have a problem with them."

Eren smiled back. "Oh! Okay, then."

You got your food after talking with Eren and went to the table, greeting Bertholdt, Reiner, and Armin. You put off greeting Mikasa, seeing that she didn't really want to talk to you. Right as you sat down, Reiner ruffled your hair in a playful manner. You laughed and elbowed him. Bertholdt sat on the other side of you and chuckled when Reiner pretended that you had hurt him, which made you freak out.

"Reiner, I haven't even known you for more than three days and I can already tell you're childish, like, come on! That's the oldest trick in the book!" You said, giggling.

Reiner shrugged, smirking. "But you fell for it."

You rolled your eyes and stuck your tongue out at him.

Armin looked at you three. "Wow, you guys are close already?"

You looked at him and smiled. "Ha, yeah. Hard to believe, right? Turns out we three have good chemistry. So, we became friends."

Eren laughed. "You guys look more like siblings than friends."

Reiner engulfed you and Bertholdt both into a tight bear hug. "Maybe we are siblings, we just don't know it yet."

You pushed him off of you and Bertholdt. "Come on, Reiner, you're suffocating me!" You chuckled softly.

Eren jumped up as if he forgot something. "Oh! I almost forgot! (Y/N), do you want some help with training? We could all help you! The 3DMG can be hard to master."

You widened your eyes. "Really? On my first day? Is that allowed? I'm not even a member."

Bertholdt spoke up. "Yet. Erwin p-probably has plans to make you a member."

"Really?" You acted like you hadn't already heard this from Mr. Short Jerk the night before. "I mean, I guess I can try..."

Eren stood behind his chair now. "Alright, come on, let's go then!"

Mikasa held his arm. "Eren. You need to eat. Breakfast has just started."

Eren's face turned red in embarrassment. "Oh yeah, duh." He nervously laughed.

As he sat back down you sighed. You haven't felt this happy in a long time.


	6. Training With... ?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You widen your eyes a bit, taken back by the sudden question. "Oh! Thank you, but... the others already taught me everything there is to know."
> 
> He rolled his eyes. "You really think you can learn from them? You're better off getting taught from me."

Later that day, Eren and the others decided to bring you to the training grounds to practice the 3DMG. As they awkwardly helped you buckle the straps on, they helped connect the gas tanks and showed you how to activate them with the many buttons and switches on the sword.

"So... these help to bring down the titans?" You asked, eyeing the blades in your hands.

Armin nodded. "Yeah. Believe it or not, they're really efficient."

You turned your head to the blond haired boy. "How?"

Armin's eyes lit up suddenly, seeming happy to be giving information. "Well, we recently discovered a way to kill titans without having them regenerate. All we have to do is-"

"Slice through the nape..." You said, unconsciously.

Armin stopped. "How do you know that? I thought you couldn't remember anything...?"

You snapped back into reality and shook your head. "Oh, uh... I don't! It's just that I overheard some superiors yesterday..."

Armin shifted back to his normal self. "Oh! That makes sense!"

Throughout the day, they trained you, non-stop. You fell a good couple of times in the beginning and even got a huge bruise on your shin from falling way too hard, but as time went on, you got better. You were zipping back and forth, slicing napes of the imaginary titans. Your hands started to blister but you wouldn't stop for anything.

As the sun started to set, they headed off back to their post, waving goodbye to you. Jean didn't want to leave you but he was dragged off by the others eventually. Reiner and Bertholdt both gave you a hug, whispering to you, "You're doing great." , which made your heart soar. You had hugged them back before they too had gone to join the retreating group.

You sighed and looked through the trees at the sunset. Tears brimmed your eyes as you looked at the rolling hills. Wow, you really needed to stop doing that. Someone was gonna catch you. You wiped your eyes and stood tall, ready to train once more. You could get at least two more hours in. But then again, you were thirsty. Your tongue was dry and your throat was parched. Your muscles were being strained once again and your eyes begged for sleep.

"Oi!"

You were startled by a voice behind you and instantly turned your head, surprised that you didn't get whiplash. Your expression hardened as you realized that the owner of the voice was the man from the night before.

"What do you want?" You asked, venom in every syllable.

The man growled. "Don't you dare give me that tone."

You rolled your eyes, turning your back.

It was silent for a moment, almost to the point where you thought he had left you alone.

"I wanted to start over." He finally said.

Nope. He was still there.

You turned back to him, giving him a confused glare. "What?"

"I said I wanted to start over." He said through clenched teeth, thoroughly annoyed at the looks you were giving him. He closed his eyes and took a breath to calm himself down. "We got off on the wrong foot yesterday. I was stressed out and very irritable." He confessed.

You raised an eyebrow, expecting something more.

The man sighed and looked away. "And for that I'm sorry." He mumbled, crossing his arms.

God. He can act like a child and a maniac. Nice talent.

"I guess I'm sorry too." You said, looking down. "I've been through a lot lately and I don't seem to have any sense of patience."

"Clearly." He said, quietly.

"Hey! I heard that!"

He looked back up at you, raising a hand for you to shake. "So let's pretend this is the first time we're meeting. Hi. I'm Levi. Corporal of the Scouting Regiment."

You couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "I'm (Y/N). (Y/N) (L/N). It's a pleasure to meet you." You took his hand in yours and shook it firmly. His hand was surprisingly soft. Not calloused like you thought it would be.

You both nodded and retracted your hands.

"Please tell me you wash your hands," Levi said, almost to himself.

"Um, yeah? Of course, I do." You said.

"Good." He said back, walking past you. "At least someone other than me knows the importance of cleanliness."

Uh... okay?

"Anyway," Levi started. "Do you want me to help you train or what?"

You widen your eyes a bit, taken back by the sudden question. "Oh! Thank you, but... the others already taught me everything there is to know."

Levi rolled his eyes. "You really think you can learn from them? You're better off getting taught from me."

You crossed your arms. "And why is that? I thought they were pretty good."

He tightened his straps on his thighs. "They're good but not nearly as good as most of the superiors. Especially me. Ask anyone, and they will tell you that I am the person that has killed the most titans out of anyone that has ever been in the Scouting Regiment."

"Oh really?" You asked, smirking.

Levi sighed. "You know, I know I just met you, but you're really starting to piss me off with that attitude of yours."

You laughed. "Sorry about that."

Levi looked at you for a brief moment with narrowed eyes, before turning away again. "Let's just get this over with."

So, you had ended up training with this "Levi". He seemed to have average skill near the beginning of your session but had proven his advanced skill set at the end. You couldn't keep up with him as he flew through the air, doing spinning attacks towards the imaginary foes, not breaking a sweat. You, on the other hand, were getting tired. You struggled to stay straight, and your muscles felt weary.

Before you knew it was happening, you were flying straight towards a tree. You had missed it by a mere inch but still ended up getting a nasty scratch on your arm.

"Ow!" You hissed through your teeth as you landed on the ground with a thud. Steam started to seep out of your wound, your titan abilities being able to regenerate your lost cells.

Levi landed behind you. "What? Couldn't keep up? Well maybe-" He paused for a second. "Are you hurt?" He asked.

You tried desperately to hide the steam and looked back at him. "Huh? NO! Um... no. I'm fine." You said, nervousness setting in.

The man walked closer to you. "Then why are you holding your arm...?" He knelt down trying to grab hold of you. "Let me see-"

You jumped back and away from him, your back still turned away. "No! I told you I'm fine!" You looked back at your wound, seeing that it had pretty much healed.

Levi seemed surprised for a moment until he once again put on a stoic expression. "I-" He started to speak, but got cut off a second time.

You held out your fully healed arm and forced a smile. "See? I told you I'm not hurt. There's nothing to be worried about."

He looked at you. "You should have shown it to me before, then." He stood up and started walking away.

You took a deep breath as your smile dropped in relief. You got up as well and dusted yourself off. You stayed there, looking down at your feet, quiet.

_What would've happened if he had found out? Would he have been able to kill me? He's really strong... I might've had to kill him before he could tell anyone. Would that even be possible in my human form? I wouldn't want to commit murder this early in my mission... What if he's suspicious now? What if he starts to keep an eye on me and finds out the truth somehow? I might get Reiner and Bertholdt caught too! What if-_

"(Y/N)!"

His voice snapped you out of your thoughts.

"Are you deaf or something? I've been calling your name." Levi said, annoyed. "It's time to get back to the post."

"Oh, right!" You said, running up to him.

_Man... I have to be more careful..._


	7. Embarrassment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi stood up, leaving half of your harnesses unbuckled. His terrifying aura curled around you, making your throat tighten up.
> 
> Then suddenly, all of the tension slowly disappeared.
> 
> "I feel like you can get the rest." He said. "Come down when you're done. We can't have you starving."

 As you awkwardly make your way up the stairs to your bedroom, you heard a voice from behind. "Don't hurt yourself walking up those stairs, for fuck's sake."

You knew the voice didn't mean any harm, so you chuckled and continued on your way.

Right as you entered your room, you shut the door and leaned against it. Letting out a deep sigh, you loosened your straps to get a little relief. It's only been one day and there were already red marks on your skin from the leather. You had to suck it up. You've been through worse things. You unbuckled your harnesses, dropping them to the floor, not caring about the mess. You kicked your boots off and unbuttoned your top buttons on your shirt, releasing some of the tension you had. You let your hair down and ran your hands through it, audibly sighing. You fell and your back hit your bed.

"God..." You said, closing your eyes. "Every single thing in this world needs training, huh?"

You curled up under your blankets, falling asleep in a desperate attempt to get rid of your pounding headache that was forming.

*Time skip 'cause sleeping is pretty boring to write about*

Your eyes slowly peeked open, pupils constricting at the bright light coming in from your window. You let out a quiet yawn as you sat up, stretching every muscle possible until that satisfying "pop" was heard. You groaned and swung your legs out from under the covers putting some light bandages on your feet before getting up to get changed. You stretched once more as you made your way over to the small closet that you had. You were grateful that the members had given you a fair share of clothes for your uniform, or you would look terribly out of place. You quickly got changed and, after brushing your hair and putting it up in your usual style, you took your straps and harnesses. You looked at them for a moment.

_How did I put these on again...?_

You tried putting them on but ended up getting them all tangled up and rearranged.

_Uh... this isn't right..._

As you struggled to put on your gear, a knock came from outside your door. You were able to grab a hold of the doorknob, and, hopping on one leg, made your way to the door to peek at who was there.

"Oh. Hello, Corporal Levi." You said, nervously. And you weren't anxious just from calling a man who was pretty much the same age as you "Corporal".

"Oh. You're awake. It's good to see you didn't die last night." He said with his usual stoic expression.

You laughed, muscles still tensed up. "Haha... yeah..."

Levi seemed to notice that something was wrong and he looked at you eyebrows furrowing. "What is it this time...?"

You looked at him, a smile forcing itself onto your features. "Huh? Oh, nothing!"

He was silent for a moment before he caught you off guard by swinging the door open. As he saw the situation you were in, he sighed. "Of course..." He mumbled.

You tried your best not to fall. "Um... as you can see... I still haven't quite learned how to put these on yet..."

He rolled his eyes and walked forward. "Of course you didn't."

You backed up as he came closer, scared of him threatening you in such a vulnerable state. If you weren't in this situation, you would have threatened him right back.

"I'm not gonna kill you, jesus, woman..." He said as he knelt down to get a grip on your harnesses. "I'm just gonna help you." He looked up at you with eyes that weren't giving you a hard glare like you thought they were going to. "I'm only going to do this once so don't expect me to help you every day."

You pursed your lips together and looked away, nodding. "Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah." He said.

After a few moments of struggling trying to get the tangled straps off of your legs and torso, you and him finally got the set separated from each other.

"Lift your leg." He said.

Your face flushed red as you listened to him. You did as he asked, and he swiftly put the straps around your leg and around your hip. You didn't know why you were getting so flustered, but you were happy Levi didn't notice. You tried not to squirm at his hands grazing your skin that was only covered by a thin piece of fabric.

Oh yeah, he noticed that.

"Shit! I'm sorry! I'm just not used to people touching me... I mean...! Uh..." You stammered as his glare stayed fixed on you. His hands remained where they were, which were close to your waist.

_Shit shit shit shit fuck fuck shit fuCK FU-_

Levi stood up, leaving half of your harnesses unbuckled. His terrifying aura curled around you, making your throat tighten up.

Then suddenly, all of the tension slowly disappeared.

"I feel like you can get the rest." He said. "Come down when you're done. We can't have you starving."

And with that, he turned and walked out of your room.

You stood there, trying to wrap your brain around the embarrassing event that just happened.

_Great. Now he's gonna think of me as that "horny woman in the Scouts"..._

You clenched your eyes shut. You hated yourself for acting that way, but then again, you couldn't help it. It was just a... reaction. You never usually acted like that towards anyone and normally you weren't bothered by someone "accidentally touching" you.

"Ugh... get a hold on reality, (Y/N)." You said to yourself, sighing before finishing your top straps.

When you were done, you stiffly walked to the dining area of the castle. Right as you entered the room, Reiner was seen standing up and waving to you like a little kid high on candy. You smiled. It's like he knew what happened and was trying to get your mind off of it.

_Oh god... hopefully, no one saw it._

"Come on, (Y/N)!" You heard Eren yell.

You laughed. "Okay! Okay..."

You walked over to them, sitting beside Bertholdt who was sitting across from Reiner. Eren was on the other side of you, sliding a plate of food over.

"Thanks." You said, grateful.

"So," Reiner started. "Did ya get your beauty sleep?"

You sighed. "Far from it. I kept waking up in the middle of the night." You said. "I have... really bad insomnia."

Bertholdt looked at you. "Oh my gosh, that must be really hard."

"I mean, it's fine. Everyone has a little bit of it." You stated.

Eren started laughing.

You looked at him confused. "What?"

"It's just that-" He chuckled, putting the back of his hand against his mouth. "Bertholdt definitely doesn't have insomnia."

"Huh?" You raised a brow and looked at Bertholdt.

Every other boy at the table seemed to be laughing.

Bertholdt, on the other hand, was not. His face was beet red and his eyes were widened to the size of the full moon. His mouth was hanging open in the look of pure betrayal. He suddenly stood up, slamming his hands on the table.

"Eren! Don't you dare!" He said, ears now the same color as his face.

"Sorry, Bert. But it's funny." Reiner said, trying to hold in his own giggles of amusement. He gave Eren the "go ahead" hand gesture.

"He's like a rock when he sleeps and-" He laughed again. "We've learned to predict the weather from his sleeping positions."

You chuckled. "What?"

Bertholdt sat down, burying his face in his arms.

Jean, who overheard the conversation, came over. "Oh yeah! Connie woke up to his Bert's crotch in his face."

The table shook with laughter, Connie running up to the group. "Yeah, it's true! I almost had a heart attack because I didn't know what it was at first!"

Your face turned red again and you burst out laughing. "Oh my god, really?!"

After he was done laughing, Reiner spoke up. "Yeah, really!" he paused. "The weather should be rainy with a chance of sunshine in the afternoon if I'm correct."

You laughed again, holding your stomach. You glanced over at Bertholdt who was sitting there, staring at the table with a terrified look on his face. Every part of his skin down to his collarbones were crimson.

"Aww, Bert! I don't think any less of ya!" You hugged him, wiping away your tears at moments.

Eren finished his laughing fit and went over to him, putting an arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry Bertholdt. Everyone here loves you, there's nothing to worry about!"

Jean smiled. "Yeah, we just joke around is all. Makes us all a little less worried about everything that's happening now."

Bertholdt gave a flustered smile. "Heh. Yeah... love you guys too."

You let him go and smiled. "Oh, Bertholdt, by the way-"

"Alright cadets!" Everyone straightened up in attention as Commander Erwin called everyone.

"Today, we will be preparing to head out! Take all of the supplies you need and round up the horses!" He paused. "A group of three will be out patrolling the area while preparation is going on. Whoever wants to go out there, you will have to be focused. If you see an oncoming threat, quickly come back and alert a superior immediately!"

Jean, Reiner, and Eren raised their hands to volunteer. "We'll do it!"

Erwin simply nodded their way and they dismissed themselves.

"The rest of you! Tend to your horses! We leave in a few hours!" He commanded. "That will be all."

Cadets got up left and right, taking their trays and bowls. You took your own and before you could even begin walking, Sasha snatched the remnants of food you had left.

"You're welcome...?" You said, chuckling.

You sighed, dumping your now empty tray into the washing bin.

"Hey, you."

You looked behind you to see the person who you were dreading to see the most.

"Don't spend time clowning around. Get your things ready." Levi said.

"Of course. "You tried to sound cheery, but thought twice when you remembered that it wouldn't work on this man.

_Man... I have a feeling this is going to be a long day._


End file.
